NEW VAQUERO cylinder diameter? 357 vs 44

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LeadFoot45

Inactive
So im looking to buy a New Vaquero with birdshead and 3.75 in barrel for hunting backup and possibly even ccw but cant seem to find the cylinder diameter on both the 357 and 44. Are they cylinder diameters the same size just smaller bores for the 357 just like the barrel?? If so im gettin the 44 mag!! Anyone know the dimensions???
 
I would think that the best people to answer that question is the people who made the revolver. I do know that the 44 and the 45 cylinder use the same size cylinder and steel, only the size of the cylinder bores are different. I I would think the 357 cylinder would also be the same size e as it's big brothers.
 
LeadFoot45 said:
So im looking to buy a New Vaquero with birdshead and 3.75 in barrel for hunting backup and possibly even ccw but cant seem to find the cylinder diameter on both the 357 and 44. Are they cylinder diameters the same size just smaller bores for the 357 just like the barrel?? If so im gettin the 44 mag!! Anyone know the dimensions???
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You might want to revisit the Ruger website. The 3.75 barrel is only available on the Vaquero Talo's and they're both 45's. If you're going to CCW this gun, you should really think it over. A double action would be much better.
 
LineStretcher said:
You might want to revisit the Ruger website. The 3.75 barrel is only available on the Vaquero Talo's and they're both 45's. If you're going to CCW this gun, you should really think it over. A double action would be much better.
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I have many double actions to carry as-well, i will always have my 642 on my ankle or in my pocket! I just like SA’s as well and i like these ones. But they do also make the 3.75 in a 44 and 357 but you can only get them in stainless
 
LeadFoot45 said:
I have many double actions to carry as-well, i will always have my 642 on my ankle or in my pocket! I just like SA’s as well and i like these ones. But they do also make the 3.75 in a 44 and 357 but you can only get them in stainless
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Didnt see those on their website maybe I missed them.
 
According to Ruger's website the .357 model weighs 37 ounces and the 44 Mag. model weighs 39 ounces. Assuming everything else was identical other than the charge holes and bore diameter the .357 should weigh more. Of course that also assumes the Ruger website has the corrects weights listed for every iteration of each model.

Honestly if it's that important I want to verify the dimensions myself.
 
If you were comparing New Vaqueros in .357 and .45 Colt, the cylinders are the same size as are the frames and the outside dimension of the barrels. The smaller bore/chambers of the .357 would make that revolver heavier.

The New Vaquero with the medium frame (three digit prefix) won’t handle .44 Magnum pressures. The birdshead .44 Magnum is therefore built on the larger cylinder frame. I think Ruger caused a bunch of confusion by putting a New Vaquero rollmarked on it.
 
You didn't specify whether you're asking about the .44 Magnum or the .44 Special.

The New Vaquero in .357 Magnum, .44 Special, and .45 Colt are built on the medium-sized frame and have the small steel grip frame. The .357 will weigh more because less metal has been removed from the cylinder and barrel for the smaller bore. It will also handle higher pressures and be capable of delivering more energy than .44 Special or .45 Colt in a New Vaquero.

I don't know if .44 Special New Vaqueros and medium-framed Blackhawks are or were factory-offered, but they are popular whether they're factory or aftermarket conversions. There are also .44-40's.

The .44 Magnum Vaquero is built on the large-sized frame (same frame as most post-'72/73 Blackhawks, and all Super Blackhawks). It also has the larger grip-frame, but that is aluminum and not steel like New Vaqueros. The .44 Magnum Vaquero, and all early Vaqueros should be capable of handling high pressures and "Ruger-only" handloads that can deliver far more energy than SAAMI-spec .44 magnum and .45 Colt. While the .357's are also very strong, most people see it as excess because the .357 case simply doesn't hold enough of the slow burning powders to get a lot more out of it. The medium-frame Blackhawks and Vaqueros have sufficient strength for hot .357's. The .44 and .45 are well-served by the extra strength of the larger frame if they will be shot with super hot magnum loads. On the other hand, if only low-pressure cowboy or black-powder loads are to be shot, then the medium frame guns are lighter and handier for the job.

The steel grip frames on the New Vaqueros do add substantial weight compared to the aluminum grip frames on the Blackhawks and old Vaqueros. On the other hand, aluminum is kind of a Buck-Rogers, Space-Age metal that doesn't seem appropriate for what are essentially 1873 resto-mods. While the .357 might also seem very 20th century, it does have roots that go back to the 38's and the 1851 Navy that made the .36 caliber so popular. As it turns out, the New Vaqueros end up quite a bit heavier than Colts and closer Colt replicas, but they would seem to be more durable too.
 
The steel grip frames on the New Vaqueros do add substantial weight compared to the aluminum grip frames on the Blackhawks and old Vaqueros.
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I can't speak for all, but my "old" Vaquero 45 has a steel grip frame not aluminum.
 
Cylinder diameters on the New Vaqueros will run about 1.73" on the 44 mag., and about 1.67" on the 357 mag. The 44 mag. frame is slightly larger as well.
 
I can't speak for all, but my "old" Vaquero 45 has a steel grip frame not aluminum.
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Howdy

Yes, the 'original model' Vaqueros had a steel grip frame. When I bought my first 'original model' Vaquero back around 2000, as soon as I picked it up I realized it was heavier than my old Blackhawk. Both guns had 7 1/2" barrels, both were chambered for 45 Colt. But I could tell by feel that the Vaquero was a few ounces heavier than the Blackhawk. A magnet soon verified the grip frame was steel. Interestingly enough, it came with an aluminum extractor housing. I put a steel extractor housing on it shortly thereafter.
 
be sure to try the birdshead grip first. i love ruger single action revolvers but had to sell a new vaquero 45acp at a loss (my “one out, only then one in” rule) because of its awful (to me) birdshead grip. i found no remedies for it, even after calls to ruger.


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